I tried it once and it drove me slightly spare as it's rather good at getting everywhere. Plus it set my lungs off, for some reason. (The rats seemed fine with it though.) I know lots of other people use it quite happily though, often underneath another layer of something like cardboard to prevent it getting everywhere quite so much. Or mixing it with litter in litter trays, as Aubiose has very good absorbency but is much cheaper than litter. (Mixing with cardboard sadly was not sufficient for my tidiness needs. I was still finding bits of it in the next room over!)

But it seems that for any substrate, there are people who really get on with it and people who don't, so don't just take my word for it!

_________________Poo-shoveller to: Zephyr Delanynder, Lia, and Lita.Fondly remembering: Falere the contrary NLA36, Mirala the best and finest NLA36, Zephyr Opold the serene, and Rila the rodentist.Avatar by Ursula Vernon.

Do they have good quality, heat treated, dust extracted pine shavings? Those seem to be coming back into vogue now; I believe the current general feeling is that so long as they're made of pine, heat treated to evaporate the phenols, and dust extracted to, well, extract the dust, then they're actually not a bad choice. The ones aimed at horses are often of that quality, as I understand it. It's more the small bales in pet shops that aren't. Bedmax/Littlemax, Pureflake, and Megaspread are all brand I've heard people using.

_________________Poo-shoveller to: Zephyr Delanynder, Lia, and Lita.Fondly remembering: Falere the contrary NLA36, Mirala the best and finest NLA36, Zephyr Opold the serene, and Rila the rodentist.Avatar by Ursula Vernon.

I got a bag of Aubiose recently when I ran out of finacard (conveniently between RR orders) but I really don't like it for the same reasons. I couldn't see any dust from it, or any settling around, but it sets my nose off too for whatever reason. It doesn't seem to have bothered the rats, but Ive been doing it outside and giving it a good shuffle around before bringing it in which I think helps. Ive just been using it up mixing it as 1/4 aubiose to 3/4 finacard.Wont be using it again though.

Yeah Bedmax etc is (iirc) rated for horses with COPD (chronic respiratory disease) hence they are dust extracted and the phenols baked out so they ought to be ok for the ratoos.Id like to try it as an alternative to mix in with the finacard.

There seem to have been a few cases lately of mouldy bales of Bedmax, so I'd personally try Megaspread first if they have that option. And maybe check the contents before you drive away, if you can do that without getting substrate all over the car!

I'm keen on trying shavings as well, but I've got loads of cardboard to work through first. Think my partner would kill me if I tried to put a 4th bale of anything in the hallway.

_________________Poo-shoveller to: Zephyr Delanynder, Lia, and Lita.Fondly remembering: Falere the contrary NLA36, Mirala the best and finest NLA36, Zephyr Opold the serene, and Rila the rodentist.Avatar by Ursula Vernon.

Well, after a week of megaspread...it does megaspread. I have an SRS, and have done 2 clean outs and each time I have put a layer in the tray (3 in deep tray about 2in filled) I have only used about 3in layer so it is going to last. However, it also megaspreads when the boys have had scuffles and it ends up on the floor behind the cage. It is very absorbent but there was a high ammonia smell by the end of the week but I have had that occasionally with the cardboard. I think I prefer the cardboard but until the stockist get it in again, it will do.

_________________My current gang Drax, Rocket, Groot, Star-lord, Yondu, Neb To all those who have filled my heart, have fun at the bridge.

I could see dust on the inside of the plastic before I opened it and one of the boys sneezed quite a bit during the week. But since I have changed it he hasn't (fingers crossed). I am finding it quite difficult to get away from what I first learnt with rats and shavings and can't imagine have a box full of shavings.

_________________My current gang Drax, Rocket, Groot, Star-lord, Yondu, Neb To all those who have filled my heart, have fun at the bridge.

It is very absorbent but there was a high ammonia smell by the end of the week but I have had that occasionally with the cardboard. I think I prefer the cardboard but until the stockist get it in again, it will do.

I find the ideal substrate to be a 50:50 mix of shavings and card - I like pureflake extra because it doesn't really have any smell of its own, and finacard.

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